Checkrow wire for planters



Nov. 27, 1954. A; E. w. JOHNSON 1,982,434

CHECKROW'WIRE FOR PLANTERS Filed July 7, 1934 Patented Nov. 27, 1934 CHECKROW. WIRE FOR: PLAN'EERS.

Arnold E., W. Johnson, Chicago, Ill., assignor to. International Harvester Company, a corporationof New Jersey Application July 7, 1934; Serial: No. 734,143

8 Claims.

Thisinvention relates to a check wire for planters. Moreparticularly; it relates to an improved checkwire-formed as-a continuous length of wire with the buttons rigidly secured in spaced-relation thereon.

In-check'row planters, a check wire isused, on which-buttons are formed at regular spacedintervalsfor tripping a mechanism which deposits the seed in a hill. Inmultiple row planters, a rockshaft extends across the planter to operate a pluralityofseed dispensing mechanisms wherebya plurality of hills are deposited in transverse alignment". Thewire is stretched across the field and is maintained" by careful restaking at alternateends inasnearly the same longitudinal position as possible, whereby'the buttons check the successive passages'of the planter with the hills in transverse alignment.

Iirallcheckwire'now in use individual lengths of wire are utilized with' the ends securedtogether to-form a trippingkno-t; In a wire formed in this mannerit isnecessary to use a low carbon wire in order to form the necessary knots or fastening meansforsecuring the lengths of wire to previouslyformed knots. Such wire, when wound aroundspools used in storing the wire, obtains a more orless permanent set, whichhas the effect of plurality ofleaf springs secured together end to-end-whenstretched across the field. In addition to the spring tension of this nature there is springing in the loops where the lengths of wireare secured to the knots. As a result of these conditions, and due to the use of a low carbon wire, which stretches when excess tension is applied, great difliculty has been encountered in maintaining the proper tension to prevent longitudinal movement of the wire with subsequent inaccurate-checking. To overcome this difiiculty,

a substantially stretchless check wire having integral radial upsets at the buttons has been designed asdisclosed and claimed in assignees copendingapplication Serial No. 640,426, filed Octo- Figure 2 is an enlarged elevational view of a, short length of wire incorporating the present invention;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic cross sectional View an illustrating a pair of dies serving as electrodes to (arm-114.5)

form opposite shoulders-or upsets on a wire, illus trating the-method by. which applicants improved checkwlre-button is formed; and

I Figure .4 shows the same elements as Figure.

3- with the dies in" closed position, wherebythe disk portion of the button is embedded in the metal of the check wire.

A check row planter head has-been illustrated lllFigllIG l to illustrate the use of a checkwire and the desirability of providing a large hardened check button for operating the planter mechanism. The checkhead-10 0f: the-planter is rigidly mounted on-transverse bars 11-, which form a part of the planter frame structure. Vertical rotating guide spools 12 and horizontal guide spools 13 provide means for guiding the check wire through the cheele head. A rockshaft. 14. mounted for oscillation onthecheck headcarries. an. upstanding bracket 15'on which the cheokfork 16 is mounted. Said check fork. is of the conven tional construction, being formed as twospaced: elements diverging intermediate their ends to providefor release of the check: button. after the rockshaft 1a has been rotated into the position shown inFigure 1. These-partsofthe plant-. er mechanism have not been. shown in detail as:

the desirability of check buttons havingsubstam tial size and formed of durable material is well" known.- As a further development in-the check wireclaimedinthe application above-referred to, the peripheral portions of they buttonsv for the check wire of this invention are formed as sep:- arate elements 18- particularly formed: tobest accomplish the check fork operating function and. to utilize a minimum of material. These elements also are shaped to-facilitate formation of the button.

As shown in the sections of'Figures 3 and 4, the peripheral portions'of the buttons are preferably formed by employing disk elements 1.8 formed with torus or doughnut shaped peripheral portions 19 and flat, thin, center portions or webs 20; As will be noted, the peripheralportions of the check buttons erect a substantial thickness and are rounded to provide an engaging surface for contacting the check fork 16. The

elements constituting the periphery of the but tons are formed by a die operation from sheet metal. They may be formed of any material and 1 may be heat treated for hardening, to increase The flat, thin center portions 20,.

durability. which are in the nature of webs, are-formedcen trally thereof with openings 21 sufiiciently'large topermit their being threaded on a smooth, continuous length of wire 22.

Said wire is of a high carbon content and is substantially non-stretchable for the maximum tension used in planting operations; It is, however, of an analysis which will permit upsetting operations following the application of, electric heat through electrode dies 23. Said dies are formed in halves to grip the wire, and are clamped a short distance away from a button which has been threaded on the wire. Current is then supplied sufficient to heat the length of wire between the dies to a working temperature. The dies are I then brought together to the position shown in Figure 4, whereby portions of the wire at opposite sides of the button are upset to form shoulders abutting the flat, thin, central portion of the disks, substantially filling the recesses formed by this thinner central portion and engaging the inner side of the torus shaped periphery. Sufiicient metal is upset at each side of the button to substantially. fill the recesses, whereby the upset portions lie within planes tangent to the outer surfaces of the peripheral portions of the disk portion of the buttons. With this construction the upset portions do not engage the checkfork, the roLuided peripheral portions, which may be hardened as above pointed out, forming the contacting surfaces for engaging the check forks.

For use as a check wire in a check row planter a continuous, one-piece wire has marked advantages. In the first place, it does not stretch to any appreciable extent, as a high carbon wire may be used and as there are no loops in which a spring action is obtained. This is a very important feature and one of the outstanding results accomplished by the check wire of this invention. As previously pointed out, the spring action and the stretch, which are always obtained in check wires of the prior art, present a problem which has been solved only by the skill of the operator and by spring measuring appliances at the securing posts used to hold the ends of the wire. Although a wire of thistype is constructed of a high carbon steel, it does not have the same tendency to kink and act as a spring in that respect as a wire composed of individual sections loosely connected together. When a continuous piece of wire is laid out, the kinking or bending action, which has become a permanent set of the wire, due to winding it on a drum, does not have the same action as the short free links of a sectional wire. A high carbon, one-piece wire may be laid in a straight line across a field with the application of a comparatively low tension. As an additional advantage the application of excess tension does not stretch the wire even temporarily, and for that reason it is not necessary to accurately apply the same tension to the wire at. all times to maintain it in substantially the same position and to prevent longitudinal travel across the field.

The additional advantages of utilizing a continuous wire with large check buttons having wear resistant engagingsurfaces have been pointed out in connection with the description. It is possible in a wire of this nature to chose any material and'size for the check buttons which gives the most satisfactory operation.

It is to be understood that applicant has shown and described only a certain preferred construction of his improved check wire and that he claims all modifications falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A check wire for planters comprising a continuous length of wire provided with spaced check buttons including apertured disks having rounded peripheral portions and thin apertured central portions, said disks being rigidly located in position on the wire by radially upset portions of the wire, said portions abutting the central portions of the disks.

2. A check wire for planters comprising a continuous length of wire provided with spaced check buttons including apertured disks having rounded peripheral portions and thin apertured central portions, said disks being rigidly located in position on the wire by radially upset portions of the wire, said upset portions abutting the central portions of the disks and lying substantially within planes tangent to the outer surfaces of the disks at right angles to the wire.

3. A check wire for planters comprising a continuous length of wire provided with spaced check buttons comprising disk shaped elements, the peripheral portions of which are substantially doughnut shaped and the central area of which is fiat and comparatively thin, the wire passing through openings formed in the center of the disks and the buttons being rigidly located in position on the wire by upset portionsof the wire of disk-like form, said portions abutting the central portions of the disk shaped elements.

4. A check wire for planters comprising a continuous length of wire provided with spaced check buttons comprising disk shaped elements the peripheral portions of which are substantially doughnut shaped and the central area of which is flat and comparatively thin, the wire passing through openings formed in the center of the disks and the buttons being rigidly located in position on the wire by upset portions of the wire of disk-like form, said portions abutting the central portions of the disk shaped elements and. ly- 110 ing substantially within planes tangent to the outer surfaces of the disks at right angles to the wire. 7

5. A check wire for planters comprising a continuous length of wire provided with spaced check '15 buttons comprising torus shaped elements formed with thin apertured central portions, said elements being rigidly located in position on the wire by radial upset portions of the wire, said portions abutting the central portions of the ele- 120 ments.

6. A check wire for planters comprising a continuous length of wire provided with spaced check. buttons comprising disk shaped elements the peripheral portions of which are substantially torus g5 shaped and the central area of which is fiat and comparatively thin, said disks being rigidly 10-. cated in position on the wire by upset portionsof the wire of disk-like form, said portions abut! ting the central portions of the disks.

7. A check wire for planters comprising a con.- tinuous length of wire provided with check buttons comprising torus shaped elements forming the peripheral portions of the buttons, said ele-- ments being rigidly located in position on the wire and engaged by radially upset portions thereof. p

8. A check wire for planters comprising a con- ARNOLD E. V]. JOHNSON. 

